Once Precious, Twice United

     *meanwhile*

     Trixie leaned against the railing of her balcony. She looked out to the moon and called the name of her dear bird. You are my special pet. I love you Kialiaze. I painted you cloud as it resembles your clean, loving personality. Trixie sighed deeply staring at nothing in particular, reminded of her exact words to her once beloved pet.

     "Kialiaze!" she called into the midnight clear. Little did she know she was staring at the same moon her adored pet was.

     The next day dawned with the chirping of birds, but not Kialiaze's song. He yawned and stretched his wings. He swooped down to the pond below to preen his feathers and check his reflection. When he looked at himself in the sparkling water, all he saw a confused Pteri. A school of fish swam by and rippled the image. The forest where he was smelled strongly of vegetation. He flapped his wings and was off into the sky.

     He flew again in the opposite direction of where he knew his owner lived. You are my special pet. I love you, Kialiaze. The words floated in his mind. Why did she abandon me? I thought she loved me, Kialiaze thought. As he soared into the clear blue sky he looked down upon the citizens. What he saw most were people living in sweet harmony with their pets.

     Kialiaze started back in the direction he came, back towards his forest. Once there, he wandered around the forest floor.

     *at that very moment*

Trixie walked around her lonely home. No pets to keep her company, and no reason to spend her Neopoints.

     "Wow this is really boring," she said slouching in the couch.

     "I miss Kialiaze so much... Why on the whole of Neopia did I abandon him..." she asked herself, but to her it was like a rhetorical question. If she really cared she wouldn't have abandoned her favorite pet... her only pet. But that didn't stop her. She gathered some staple items in her faerie back pack and headed out the door.

     It was mid afternoon. Trixie walked down her street towards the busier part of town. She looked around hoping to see her cherished Kialiaze, but no such luck. A loud ruffling of feathers and chirping startled her, as a flock of Pterii flapped overhead. They were brown and white Pterii, not cloud painted ones, but it still drew Trixie in. They were headed towards the park, so she followed.

     She ran to keep up with the birds, and once to the park they disappeared into a large branch of trees forming a forest. Trixie went in, desperate to find her admired Kialiaze. She heard many bird songs but none like Kialiaze's. She scanned all viewable treetops with her eyes. Kialiaze had to stick out like a sore thumb being blue in all this green.

     The sun was already beginning to set and the forest was growing quieter. Leaves rustling startled Trixie, but it was only a wild Snowbunny. A dark figure moved around in the distance, which gave Trixie goosebumps. She sat totally still, and fortunately it went away. She began to leave the forest, when a gentle swooping noise sounded overhead.

     "Can it be?" Trixie said eagerly. "Please..." she said. She followed the swooping to a large tree. A steady, slow bird song filled the forest. She listened a moment and recognized the glorious melody.

     "Kialiaze!" she called pleadingly. She climbed up the rest of the tree vigorously. Approaching the top, she looked into the eyes of her precious Kialiaze. His eyes were the same radiant aqua blue, and were even more magical in the glistening moonlight.

     "I came all this way, Kialiaze," she said looking guilty.

     "You abandoned me..." he said defensively. She put out her hand but he was already soaring out of her reach, gliding into the moonlight.

     Kialiaze didn't care where he had to go, he just wanted to get away. A little tear rolled down his cheek, going down far and finally splashing into the pond below. He didn't stop flying until he knew he was a safe distance away. He wandered far and wide to a new place he had never ventured to. Thinking of his brief school lessons, he identified this land as Meridell. It was a homely little town, but Kialiaze need the comfort of knowing he could start a new life.

     "How can I ever trust another human again?" he questioned. He felt a cold hand on his shoulder.

     "You don't have to..." croaked a raspy voice. Startled beyond belief, Kialiaze pivoted around and was face to face with a shadowy looking Draik.

     "Follow me... that is, if you want to truly live," said the purple and black mutated dragon.

     The Draik took a final look at Kialiaze and began flapping his wings. At once Kialiaze knew he had to follow. Or he at least thought it would be a second chance at life. They flew over Meridell's dark streets and alleys. At last they came to a dark floating citadel. The citadel! Kialiaze thought. He snickered under his breath, being evil couldn't be bad.

     The Draik lead Kialiaze to a simply demonic looking castle. As they entered the castle, he pondered his new evil self.

     "Another one master," the Draik said to a shadowy figure in a dark throne. Kialiaze didn't want to know what the creature there was. He followed the Draik to a room that contained a bed and a window and nothing else.

     "Sleep tonight, tomorrow we'll talk," the Draik said as he headed to the door. "By the way, the name's Kami," he added. Kialiaze was reluctant to sleep, but finally drifted into an uneasy slumber.

     When he awoke the next morning, it seemed not to be morning, but so early it was dark. Kialiaze looked out the window and found that the citadel was bustling with positively fiendish creatures. Kami arrived shortly after, hands hidden behind his back. When he saw that Kialiaze was puzzled, he snickered and held a black mirror up to his face. At first, it was like a nightmare. Kialiaze couldn't believe it. He was no longer the elegant cloud Pteri, but now a Darigan one, just like all other inhabitants of this sinister place. Is this what I wanted?" he thought in his mind.

     To please Kami, Kialiaze grinned maniacally. They walked down the corridors of the castle, and to Kialiaze it was like he had lived here all his life. He knew exactly where they needed to be.

     "You do know that a war is raging on, right?" Kami questioned near the front of the castle. Seeing the confusion Kami explained, "We must fight, to please master." Kialiaze pictured himself briefly, in handsome armor and fighting fiercely on the battle field. He had nearly forgotten his past, and although his sadness had reigned its ugly head only one night before, it seemed centuries ago to him. It was almost completely gone from his mind, like his cloudy reflection as his old self.

     That night Meridellian's attacked the citadel. Darigan loyalists fought bravely into the night. A rain of arrows soared through the air from Meridell's temporary fort. The Darigan's lifted their heavy metal shields and little damage was done by the medieval weaponry. Kialiaze never thought he could be this brave, and was so thankful to have a second chance at a life, even if it meant being evil. The way he acted in this situation was as if he were a trained combat warrior. He fought as though getting back Darigan's orb from Meridell was his sole mission, and he was fight alone. Even Kami was impressed.

     It was in the wee hours of the day, when many battlers (Meridellian and Darigan alike) lay silent on the battle field. Even Kami was weak on the ground. But Kialiaze fought hard and was still standing. Almost no one was on their feet; in fact, Kialiaze was the only one. He stood on a mound of dirt, close to the center where warriors from both sides had once fought. He looked around at every single fighter, who had fought until the end. Kialiaze knew that's not what he wanted. He wished he could go back, back to the forest, back to being his beautiful cloud self.

     Then he did something, that was nearly scraped from the depths of his mind. He could barely remember the notes. It was vaguely familiar. He sang his bird song. The notes floated over the desolate battle field.

     "Kialiaze..." called a voice. A voice from the Meridell side. He headed in the that direction. He looked down upon the girl. It was Trixie. She was on the ground, her body contorted in an odd position.

     "You are my special pet. I love you Kialiaze," she said with her truly loving voice. Kialiaze looked up, smiling. His eyes were still the same aqua blue, and reflected the same in the glistening moonlight.

The End